Summary: When Alice and Jasper arrive at the Cullens back in the 50's, Jasper discovers something besides a new family. Edward x Jasper slash. AU.

Part One: The Encounter

Every moment marked with apparitions of your soul.I'm ever swiftly moving; trying to escape this desire.The yearning to be near you,I do what I have to do.

--- Sarah Mclachlan

Edward

Monday, November 23, 1953

I can recall when I first saw – well, heard – them.

It was twilight, the brilliant sun having finally died down and submitted to night, and I was hunting: big game. It wasn't because I was exceptionally thirsty, but more or less a result of the school girls' silly reactions towards me. There was one in particular, with soft, doe eyes and brown waves, who never shied away from me, instead always approaching me, and it was a bit disconcerting, unsettling. It didn't help that her scent was sweet and floral and divine; she'd practically throw it into my face at times, coy smile on her lips. Sometimes, I'd even venture to wonder if she knew what she did to me.

I caught the scent of a mountain lion – my favorite prey – and tore after the faint trail, which was mixed with the flavors of the earth: the tang of impending rain, the hum of lightning and a far-off storm; the spice of the forest; the raw tastes of blood caressing my tongue. Up above, the air crackled. It wouldn't be long before the threatening weather hit the area.

Then, I caught the scent of vampires. I stopped, back ramrod straight, and sniffed the air, tasted it with my tongue, dividing the taste of it from the natural odors of the earth.

There were two separate tracks; mates, perhaps – new to the area – I had never met them before, at least. It was slightly stale, but fresh enough that they could have passed through mere moments before. Instantly, I veered off my course, tracking the vampires' trails, which headed towards our home. My home. Suddenly, hunting didn't seem like such an enormous priority.

Maybe they were passing through. Perhaps they had caught our trails and followed them, curious, as I was about them. It had happened before.

However, I still needed to reach Carlisle and seek out his advice, not just because he was my father, but because his experience would aid us tremendously in this situation. It was in desperate times like these that I wished others could read my mind as I could theirs.

Faster and faster I pushed myself, casting my mind out to search for foreign "voices".

But there was nothing, not even the breath of stirred air under fleeing feet or the whisper of a habitual breath. I sensed no minds near me, and so slowed down for a moment, hesitating.

Where were they?

My mind flickered through several possible explanations – some ludicrous, others plausible – before deciding that the best course of action would be to continue moving and seek safety in the numbers of my family.

Five seconds after pausing in my fierce sprint, I sped up, running to my home, miles and miles away from this area.

I just hoped that God would take some pity on the damned and allow my family and I to regroup before we were forced to take action.

It was only when I was a half-dozen miles from the security of my white castle when I heard them.

God, I hope Alice was right about her vision; otherwise we're as good as done.

Jasper

Usually when Alice tells me what to do, I listen. Usually when she tells me to run, I run; duck, I duck; stay in some dinky hotel because the sun will be unrelenting, and I sign us into a place without a moment of hesitation.

However, as soon as I came across the mixed trails of "Esme", "Emmett", "Rosalie", "Carlisle", and "Edward" (as my wife so fondly called them), I began to worry; my inner warrior was very, very concerned.

I had made it through thousands of battles in my hundred-or-so years, and had learned the basics of survival: be wary, learn your surroundings, keep on your toes, feed whenever you can, and, most importantly, if possible, avoid being outnumbered.

Yet my sweet Alice was currently dragging me, urging me on with her words, displeased with my tentative pace.

"Jasper, we have to hurry before Edward catches our scent, or else we'll never make it in time!" The dark-haired pixie tugged on my hand, pulling me forward. "If he finds our trail before we've made it to the house, he'll chase us, and if he does, he'll make me break my new shoes! He's too fast for us." She pouted.

That was my wife, always worrying more about the state of her clothes than the fact that this Edward could deal us some serious harm. Inside my head, images of purple smoke, heavy and choking with the scent of burned sugar, filled my mind. I was not so naïve as to believe that this coven would welcome us with open arms, without questions.

No, instead I mentally prepared for a fight, pushing the sleeves of my shirt to my elbows, unbuttoning the first two buttons on my shirt. Intimidation was the first thing on my mind. I knew that my unsettling scars made others fear me, sensing my lethal danger. The way I figured it, once they saw how many I had killed and how many had failed to kill me, they'd be less likely to involve in a fight, unless they wished to risk losing a mate.

"Jazz," she sighed, reluctantly understanding my actions, but thankfully said no more. I was glad; it made it easier to focus on manipulating the emotions of my wife. Sending her a gentle vibe of relaxation and confidence, I sighed, wishing I could feel as sure as she did.

Instead, I planned for the worse-case scenarios. I knew what to do if they attacked, or harmed us, or rejected us, but I had no idea what would happen if they accepted us.

Yes, in the beginning I had been optimistic. When Alice had told us that there could be a family, a different life, for us, I was ecstatic. But now...the nerves had gotten to me.

I groaned, looking ahead.

In a few short minutes, we'd find our possible "family" and learn whether or not they'd accept us.

I was terrified, scared shitless.

I felt a small hand squeeze mine one. "It'll be fine; don't worry. Trust the psychic."

I turned to meet her wide grin and gave a tiny smile in return.

"I know, Ali." And I did. "But…"

"But you wish the doubts would instantly disappear?" she finished quirking a slim brow. God, she knew me well.

"Yes."

"Trust me. This'll work perfectly; I've seen it." But then she flinched, and I was a whole lot more than just doubting or concerned. Now, I wanted nothing more than to turn around and head back to our motel.

As I opened my mouth to speak my worries, an iron hand held my jaw shut.

"Jasper Whitlock, if you even dare question me once more, I swear I will tie you up and leave you here for Edward to find and question while I go meet the family," she threatened. "Overprotective fool."

So, with a nervous chortle, I resolved to keep my thoughts to myself.

It wasn't too difficult. My mind was humming like a beehive, full of doubts and hopes and worries and concerns and desperation, all jumbled together into a heaping stew. Alice was lucky I had such a tight lid on my powers right now, or else she'd be feeling the nerves and desires equal to a thousand ancient warriors preparing for battle.

And then, before I realized it, we were on the fringes of the forest, and stepping through the last stretches of trees to our new "family".

On the steps of a pristine home stood a family of four consisting of two females and two males. One, the older man, had a warm smile on his face, but as soon as he saw my scars, his grin shrunk by a few molars. The younger, muscular man pushed his mate behind him, flexing his biceps in warning. They were both instantly on the defensive.

I chuckled. It was good to be feared, at least in this case.

Alice had no reservations, dancing out of the underbrush and racing up the cement steps to hug the two women.

"Esme, Rosalie! It's so good to see you! You have no idea how long we've had to search for you – well, you know how long it can take to track someone down, I'm sure – but I can't wait to see the house, especially that gorgeous sofa! Oh," she faced the pair of slack-jawed men. "I can't believe I forgot to say hello to you two! Well, Carlisle, I'd say we'll be seeing a lot of each other soon, especially once we move in. Emmett – stop harassing my husband! Well, I do say, this place is so much lovelier in person and I wanted to ask which room we'd get…"

And on and on she went, never pausing for more than a short breath. I saw Emmett, the muscular, taunting one, look astonishingly at me and mouth, "Is she for real?"

I smirked, nodding.

Then, by some miracle, my little pixie stopped, and it was silent; no one knew what to say. What could be said? Hi, I'm Jasper and I can control your emotions; I hail fresh from the vampire wars. Alice sees the future, but remembers nothing of her past. Oh, did I forget to mention that, apparently, we're to join your coven and feed off animals for the rest of eternity?

I didn't think so.

But Esme, the elder woman, invited us inside after a pause, like a good hostess, hesitant smile on her face.

And we entered the house, and everything seemed to pass in a blur.

I remember influencing the coven's emotions to be more welcoming towards us.

I remember Carlisle officially welcoming us into his home.

I remember Alice telling the coven our tale, with little input from me.

I remember hearing Alice whisper conspiratorially to Rosalie that she was going to steal Edward's room – it had the best view.

I remember moving boxes upon boxes of books and records and an enormous piano into the garage, listening to my wife's tittering.

I remember Alice telling me that I had to be very careful around Edward after his arrival, on account of his fury – especially once he realized we had moved his stuff out into the garage.

And I remember hearing the flurry of footsteps, the soft pitter-patter of quick feet, the pause and cry of rage when he discovered his possessions in the garage, and the flavor of his swift anger on my tongue, like warmed steel or iron.

Burning, consuming metal like nothing before.

A/N: Kisses to Starfish422 for fixing my awful grammer :)

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